The first year of the 1950s marked the start of the Korean War. In America, Joseph McCarthy ignited Red Scare witch hunts, spreading fear and suspicion about almost anyone’s possible communist ties. In India, Mother Theresa founded her Missionaries of Charity order. President Harry Truman survived an assassination attempt and authorized the development of the hydrogen bomb. Diners Club introduced the first major charge card, Silly Putty bounced into toy stores and Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” cartoon strip made its debut.
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On January 17, 1950, 11 men steal more than $2 million ($29 million today) from the Brink's Armored Car depot in Boston, Massachusetts. It was the perfect crime—almost—as the culprits weren’t caught until January 1956, just days before the statute of limitations for the theft expired.
John D. Allen, Sr., President of Brinks Express Company prepared to leave Wednesday for Boston to supervise his firms cooperation with law enforcement seeking bandits who escaped with $1,500,000 in the Boston robbery. The company is offering $100,000 reward for capture of the bandits. (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
Bettmann Archive
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On January 31, 1950, U.S. President Harry S. Truman publicly announces his decision to support the development of the hydrogen bomb, a weapon theorized to be hundreds of times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Japan during World War II.
1945: Harry S Truman (1884 - 1972), the 33rd President of the United States. After succeeding Franklin D Roosevelt to power during the last months of World War II, he who was forced to make the decision to end the war with Japan by dropping the atomic bomb. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)
Getty Images
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On May 9, 1950, Lafayette Ronald Hubbard (1911-1986) publishes Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health. With this book, Hubbard introduced a branch of self-help psychology called Dianetics, which quickly caught fire and, over time, morphed into a belief system called Scientology.
This Day in History – May 8, 1950, was the day that the book of Dianetics was first published. This book held the theory that unconscious memories could be erased through proper therapy and treatment by the church of Scientology. To find out more, check out this video.
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On June 27, 1950, President Harry S. Truman announces that he is ordering U.S. air and naval forces to South Korea to aid the democratic nation in repulsing an invasion by communist North Korea. The United States was undertaking the major military operation, he explained, to enforce a United Nations resolution calling for an end to hostilities, and to stem the spread of communism in Asia. In addition to ordering U.S. forces to Korea, Truman also deployed the U.S. 7th Fleet to Formosa (Taiwan) to guard against invasion by communist China and ordered an acceleration of military aid to French forces fighting communist guerrillas in Vietnam.
US President Harry S. Truman addresses nations to join the peace efforts of the United States, on September 04, 1950 in a radio address. Elected Vice President of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1944, Harry Truman succeeded him on his death in 1945. He ended the Japanese war and continued Roosevelt's Fair Deal policy. Truman helped European countries with the Marshall Plan (1947). Re-elected in 1948, Truman was at the origin of NATO in 1949. He decided to intervene in Korea in June 1950. (Photo by INTERCONTINENTALE / AFP) (Photo by -/INTERCONTINENTALE/AFP via Getty Images)
INTERCONTINENTALE/AFP via Getty
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On August 21, 1950, officials of the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) accept Althea Gibson into their annual championship at Forest Hills, New York, making her the first African American player to compete in a U.S. national tennis competition.
In a This Day in History video, host Russ Mitchell takes us through the history of August 22nd. On this day in 1775, England’s King George III declared his American colonies were in open rebellion against his crown. On this day in 1902, Theodore Roosevelt became the first American president to ride in an automobile. On this day in 2005, the last Jewish settlers left the Gaza Strip. Also on this day in 1950, Althea Gibson broke the color barrier in tennis when the United States Lawn Tennis Association accepted her into their championship.
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